I recently spoke to a web site owner who asked me this question:
I’m considering selling a web site I have had for quite some time, which has a list of over 700. The list is a double op-in list.
However, my question relates to what happens with this list when transferring a web sites ownership.
For example, I use Aweber for my list management, and so if I sell my web site, how does the owner get the list as part of the purchase? Or is this the purchasers problem and not mine?
There are a few points to address here… firstly, it is generally accepted that any list built directly from the site SHOULD be included in the sale of the site. If it is not, then you should make this clear and reduce the price.
Secondly, some sites have a double opt-in and a membership as well. So for example, a forum requires you to register and give your email address, but that same forum may have a weekly newsletter on aweber as well. This is rare, but it can cause problems. The biggest issue is the use of the brand name. For example, the new owner may decide to send a weekly email to the forum members via the forum software, he may start the email: “Hi, Jim here, the new owner of xxxx.com” – But the old owner may still be emailing the same people weekly and saying “Bob here from xxxx.com”
In my opinion, any brand or company related list SHOULD ALWAYS be included in the sale… ALWAYS!
So onto my final point… transferring the list via aweber.
Note: I have never done this, if anyone knows of any better techniques, please let me know.
Ok, the main issue with using aweber to do this, is the fact that they require the leads to re-validate their subscriptions. This means that a % are not going to do this. So straight away you are weakening the stregth of a list.
With that in mind, if you are going to buy a site with a list, and you wish to transfer the list to your aweber account, I would set the price based on the final list size.
e.g If the list is 1000 and the seller wants $10,000, I would say “I will pay you $10,000 if 950+ validate, but $9,000 if it is less than 850 and so forth…”
Here is what Aweber say about this issue:
Import Leads:
All imported leads must be verified before they will be added to your mailing list. Within minutes of being imported a notice will be sent to the lead asking them to verify that they did indeed request to be on the mailing list. Once verified they will immediately be added to your account and visible for email delivery. Learn about the many benefits of using verified opt-in, “Study: Verified Opt-in Reduces Unsubscribes & Complaints.”* Only emails that have specifically requested information from you may be imported.
* Purchased emails or FFA link page email addresses may not be imported.See the unsolicited email section of the service agreement. If you have questions about this policy, ask us. Violation of the service agreement will result in immediate account closure.
If you are not happy about asking them to re-validate, then you could import the leads to your own list software, but that is a whole new set of issues.
Site Sellers Summary: If your list is associated with your site in any way, then it SHOULD be included in the sale.
Site Buyers Summary: When using Aweber, be aware of the re-validation losses you WILL get.
EdDale says:
Hey Gary
I have done this a few times – here is the absolute Key – if your going to sell your site – spend the nineteen bucks and do a separate aweber account for each site.
Then you can simply transfer the underlying account and not the list. This is super smooth
Doing it any other way is a disaster!!!!
The average re-optin rate is under 20% in my experience – if your buying a site and this is your only option – dont value the list OR do a staged payment based on number of resubscribes.
Love your site bTW Barry!
Ed Dale
http://tubbynerd.com
midascode says:
Ed,
Thanks for the great tip.
I have one quick question… The cost for an Aweber account is 12 month(s) recurring – $179.40
So doing one for each site is very expensive. Is there a way around this?